This invention relates to name badges and more particularly to a process for making name badges having a digitally produced image printed thereon, and especially to such badges made of a thermally debossable and other plastic material.
For convenience of expression, the term xe2x80x9cbadgexe2x80x9d is used hereinafter to generically identify all similar devices such as badges, trophies, business cards, awards, ID card, luggage tags, signs, key ring tags, and the like.
Reference is made to U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,940,864; 4,047,996; 4,267,224; 4,125,655; 4,459,772; 4,497,248; 5,305,538; and 5,398,435. These Patens relate to a thermally debossable (xe2x80x9cthermal printingxe2x80x9d) plastic material which may be used to provide a name badge having a jewelry like quality and an engraved appearance. The badges made of this material look like engraved brass, gold, or silver plates.
The thermally printing and debossable plastic material is covered by a plastic film with a metallized surface and may be imprinted by hot stamping which is a fairly expensive process that requires a relatively high degree of expertise. While it is easy for a person to acquire this expertise to use thermal printing if he does so every few days, it is not too easy for the casual user who may use it once every six or eight months, for example. From the manufacturer""s viewpoint, the office procedures required to take orders, print or stamp the plates in response to the specific orders, ship the stamped plates, bill and collect, answer complaints, etc. require a relatively large service organization.
Some of these prior patents use a plastic plate with a field of textured material in combination with a transparent tape having a pressure sensitive adhesive and with graphics on the back of the tape. When the tape is pressed over the textured area, the badge appears to have graphics sealed in the plastic forming the badge.
The invention is not limited to thermally debossible material. Quite the contrary, any suitable xe2x80x9ccard materialxe2x80x9d (such as PVC) may be used. This is especially important since modern plastics may have almost any appearance such as gold, silver, marble, leather, wood, or the like. Some of these newer materials are available from the Rowmark Company and the Innovative Plastics Company.
On the other hand, many new procedures for making badges involve card printers using digital data in order to form images. For example, the Credentia Company of 111 Bren Road West, Minnotonka, Minn. 55343-9015 produces a line of printers, software, cameras, video equipment, and the like. This company""s card printer product is sold under the name Data Card. Other companies manufacturing card printers such as this are Direct Color and Magic Card.
I have discovered that the thermal printing material is very well suited for use in these and other card printers. Moreover, the thermal printing machines offer the added benefit of mixing various printing techniques in order to make a truly unique card.
Digital cameras store the digital image data in a memory which may be fed into a computer that is a part of or drives a card printer to print out the image. Likewise, images on 35 mm film, or the like, are being delivered to a customer in a digital image data form. Hence, a card printer may use any of this digital image data in order to place a person""s picture or written material on a badge, id card, or the like.
Usually, the card material is then fed through the card printer machine, printed, and then cut to size or shape. The invention eliminates procedures for cutting the material which would normally follow the printing of the card material. This card printing has become more important since the introduction of this process to the Awards and Engraving industry and because of the nature of that industry.
It would be highly desirable to combine the known prior art structures and techniques, the thermally printing and debossible material, and similar plastic material with the digital image printing equipment so that the best features of each may be utilized. That way existing and: new techniques may be mixed and matched. Thus, for example, a company logo may be debossed into and thermally printed on the plastic material and then the name, title, and picture of a person may be printed on the plastic material. Or, everything except a person""s name may be prepared and then the person may add his own name on a do-it-yourself basis. Some of the above cited patents enable one to type his own name on a transparent tape and to press it onto the partly completed badge. The point is that many unique badges may be made on a design-it-yourself basis, on a partially do-it-yourself basis, or on a completely custom made basis. Moreover, by combining technologies, very unique badges maybe made in a one of a kind design.
Another point of interest is in novelty items such as luggage tags, key ring tags, or the like which may have unique features, such as the outline of a well known cartoon character. The crew of a cruise line might want to wear name badges cut out in the outline of the particular ship on which they serve.
A difficulty with such creativity is that a card printer which uses digital imaging to make badges is generally designed for use with material of a specific shape and size. Thus, for example, usually business cards, driver""s licenses, luggage tags and the like must be a fixed size and shape before a card printer may be used, while creatively may seek to use a plastic plate having a shape in a ship""s outline, a circular disk, star or sheriffs badge, for example. For convenience of expression, these and any other suitable shapes will be called, xe2x80x9cA unique size and shape which is not a fixed size and shape.xe2x80x9d How will a restaurant, hotel, casino, cruise ship, country club, retail store, or amusement park achieve the cutting process? The focus of these and other types of end users is not the same as these in an Awards or Engraving (Trophy) business. They want the process to be as easy as possible and do not want to make an investment necessary to further process a blank.
The inventive process involves pre-cutting the material to the desired shape before it is fed through the card printer machine. In the prior art scenario, the material would be fed through the card printer machine and then cut to shape after it is printed. Since the material is pre-cut into the desired shape before it is printed, the end user does not have to provide extra process steps to complete the badge.
Accordingly, an object of the invention is to provide a process which makes it possible to use the best feature of many techniques including both the thermal printing on debossible plastic and the modern card printers. Here, an object is to open channels for creativity without requiring uniquely designed card printers.
Yet another object is to accomplish the foregoing objects with a minimum amount of specially designed production equipment and at a minimum capital requirement for entry into the business of making badges.
In keeping with an aspect of the invention, these and other objects of the invention are provided by a process wherein a standard size card made of suitable material is selected and then covered on its under-surface by a sheet of backing material adhered thereto. The next step depends upon the material that is used. For some particularly flexible materials, a rigid carrier backing plate may be temporarily added to the card material during their trip through the card printer machine. For the debossible, thermal printing plastic material, a suitable logo, depression, textured strip, etc. step may be applied to the card. Then, the card is cut (sometimes called xe2x80x9ckiss cutxe2x80x9d) to the desired end shape and to a depth which cuts the card material without penetrating the sheet of backing material. This xe2x80x9ckiss cutxe2x80x9d separates the card material into a segment or segments held in place by the sheet backing material. The kiss cut material may then be run directly through the card printer because the card remains the standard size and shape. Then, the backing material is peeled away from the kiss cut card material to separate the segments from the card. Finally, any suitable mounting step may be carried out to form a means for an attachment (such as adding a suitable finding hole, jump ring, etc.) of the separated segment or segments of card material.
Another unique feature of the inventive process that is that the material may be hot stamped, silk screened, or some other form of printing may be applied before being fed through the card printer. Even though this card printer is capable of printing in full color, the vibrancy of silk screening and hot stamping is not otherwise achieved on certain materials.